Handguns and shades
by Tazmanic
Summary: Having left the city of Omni-1 years ago, a young girl called Starcloud returns to the capital to pick up where she left.
1. A character starts with an image

Chapter One, A character starts with an image  
  
A body awoke and decisions were made. The body became female, the female became an Opifex, a race of greyish skin, the Opifex female had a face but that was changed and a name was given, the girl became an adventurer by profession and then, the girl, Mollie Starcloud Thompon then stepped out into the world. The world of an Omni-Tec citizen starts in a training area, a small enclosure of forest and swamp where the new born characters hunt the local wildlife in order to further their skill and ability. It is also a place for people to team up and get used to social interaction with others. Starcloud was the character she was at this point because someone, somewhere had an image in their head of her and it all started with this image. Despite this, she was determined to be more than a simple stereotype. Starcloud was a social girl and carried the thought that people deserve the chance to present themselves, free of judgement. In the training area she meet a person she would know for a long time, a man called Metalknight. The two of them hunted until they had advanced sufficiently to step out of the training area and into the world of Omni- Tec.  
  
Omni-Tec is a thriving capitalist society of huge buildings and technological splendour. The citizens of this culture enjoy recreational opportunities and stunning medical support. This has made many people of Omni-Tec over-confident and willing to shoot first and ask questions later, a practice not encouraged by the wiser and more competent individuals of the community. The weeks following Starcloud's birth she spent training, shopping and socialising. She had decided to favour the sword and trained in the arts of close combat with blades. This meant that she could dispatch a foe quickly and furiously but as a result put her safety at risk. As an adventurer, she had the abilities of healing herself and others and also of metamorphosis. A trick she would perform to others would be to turn herself into a Leet, a small furry rat like animal and then proceed to roll around in circles on the ground. Her stereotype was still not dominating her, she wore armour that didn't match up and carried a backpack around with her. Making her look like a real rough adventurer with no consideration for her image. It was this honest approach that drew others close to her.  
  
Months into her existence as Mollie and her character had taken many turns and changes. She had now discarded the sword and taken up dual handguns, BBI Faithful 22s to be exact. These guns were made of light materials but were huge, dark blue monsters that packed a real punch. A downside to this was the burden of requiring ammunition, meaning she had less space for carrying spare items. Most of her inventory was kept at banks rather than on her meaning that she was no longer a true adventurer, tethered to civilisation and not able to stay in the wild for extended periods of time like before. She was now also concerned with how she looked and took to wearing black clothing and shades, a stereotypical appearance similar to that of characters in today entertainment media like 'Neo' from 'The Matrix' or 'Cleric Preston' from 'Equilibrium'. Despite the ties to this look she was not an aggressive person still and friendly to be around. Her adventuring skills were now most adept. She could change into many different animals including a large panther and a bird. She could now heal entire hunting parties with ease and enforce the skills of others making them stronger, faster and smarter. It was also around this time that she formed a clan with Dadragon2, another adventurer who Mollie was very fond of.  
  
Not long after the adventurers clan, called 'the Survivalists' reached 30 members she was forced to leave the world of Anarchy Online. She had married Dadragon2, changing her name to Lyra Starcloud Faithblade, a surname they both shared. The relationships she had she had formed throughout her time in Omni-Tec would never be forgotten. People like Defhed, Animalgirl, MetalKnight and so many more had helped her grow and develop. The last day was mostly spent in Omni-Entertainment, a district of the city. She announced on the Omni-Tec trading channel that she was giving away all her equipment and many people came to see her. After an hour she had given away almost all her belongings, talked to many people including people she knew and she had but one thing left to do. She and Dadragon2 met in a remote part of forest. The place where Lyra had proposed to him. When they met there was a dense fog that made is seem like there was nothing beyond the first line of trees. It was there, in a black dress that she said Goodbye for the last time and passed to Dadragon2 her black sunglasses and handguns, her trademark items. Then, 4 months after she had first appeared in the world of Anarchy Online and at a level of 83, she left. 


	2. Wood and steel

Chapter Two, Wood and steel  
  
Hyde City was a dark settlement on the coast of a small sea. Even during the waking hours the sunlight rarely brightened the ground, thanks to the maritime climate that ensured near total cloud cover. Hyde City was not a particularly wealthy area but those in charge where determined to show travellers an impressive city that rose into the sky. This resulted the city looking like a collective of tree trunks consisting wood and steel. On the ground level was a network of channels where markets were held selling food and basic materials. This technological void meant that people used to the leisurely ways of more advanced lands would tend to spend their time at the top of the taller buildings where a more capitalist economic system existed. The costs of locating in such a place were minimal and thus secondary industry made up the majority of development where investors looking to spend little and make much in return would buy, build and start recruiting. Crime in Hyde City was to be expected.  
  
Friday nights at the Joanne's Night Bar tended to be busy and productive. There was direct competition with another bar on the opposite side of the street that was equally as appealing to customers and so people gathered in the area flipping coins for which bar they should go to. As the later hours of the night seeped in and the majority of customers seeped out an important person came to the street. This person wore gleaming black armour that was polished so well that it caught the eye of every individual passing by. The armour happened to be Omni-Pol armour, the special sort, expensive and exclusive. The person wore no helmet though and the occasional gust of wind swept his black hair forward over his face, something his was not fond of. This person was Diviant, Draco Diviant Deathblade, a rogue law enforcer and a supposed hit with the ladies.  
  
"Hey there," he said to a passer by. "I'm looking for a bar called."  
  
He paused for a second, took out a note from his pocket and then continued.  
  
"It's called the 'Dead Hinge' night bar"  
  
The person pointed to a brightly lit building opposite Joanne's bar. Diviant thanked them and walked up to it. As he came close he wondered to himself if this really was the right place. He'd expected somewhere a little more modern and clean. Before he entered he put on a denim jacket he'd been carrying under his left arm, just so he didn't stand out as much. He walked in, approached the bar and asked for a beer. As he paid the bartender he also took the opportunity to ask a question.  
  
"I don't suppose you know a Lyra?"  
  
"I may do, or at least maybe I did."  
  
Diviant knew this way of speaking too well and resolved the situation by offering the man 200 credits.  
  
"She's gone away for a while. She was working with the boss on renovating some apartments for tourists, figured we could get a second income from renting out properties. Lyra was sorting out the ownership detail I think. Anyway, if you're looking to talk to her you might be out of luck; she's gone out hunting north from here."  
  
"She went out alone?"  
  
"Yea, something about not wanting to lose a part of her life she values. Might be something to do with her past profession. I heard she was an adventurer."  
  
Diviant by now was confident he was on the fright track. After weeks of searching it was gratifying to have some sign that she'd be near.  
  
"She was," he said.  
  
"Well, if you do want to find her speak to the guards at the north-east entrance to the city. She was last seen there, they might be able to give you a heading. And here, take this."  
  
The bartender reached far under the bar desk and handed Diviant a small blue notebook.  
  
"She left this, said if anyone came for her then they should have it. Take this advice; the creatures in the forest where she went are nasty but easily kept at bay if you know how. The pollutants from the cities' industry have meant that the entire ecosystem is contaminated and burn easy. If you want to avoid a fight, take a fire source with you.  
  
"Thanks" murmured Diviant, staring at the notebook, his mind somewhere else. He left the bar and stashed the pad in his pocket, having not looked inside. It was then he came across three men. They came from the bar opposite, making a noise as they crossed. They were obviously looking for a fight. One stepped forward up close to Diviant, towering over him by a foot in height.  
  
"We don't like Omni-Pol scum here." Sneered the rogue. "You're a long way from home, no backup here"  
  
The others caught on and revealed weapons. One with a meter long metal pole and the other with a knife. The leader just stood arms crossed, try to intimidate Diviant. He knew this was only going to end one way.  
  
"Two things. One, I'm no police unit and two, I don't need backup"  
  
In a flash, a fist smashed into the front man pushing him backwards but not over. The pole-wielding rogue lunged at him but Diviant lurched back. Noticing a loose railing to the side of him, Draco tore the metal bar from the rails. Moments later, the rogue was at the ground with a broken right arm and a concussion. As the other rogue approached Diviant bristling the knife, Diviant threw the rail at him and drew a pair of Class A enforcer pistols from holsters on his back. He then shot a round of rubber bullets at the rogue's torso and legs, leaving the man moaning and flipping about on the steel floor. Suddenly, the remaining rogue drew a pistol himself. Diviant saw this and took to fleeing into the dense crowd that has formed around the fight scene. He wasn't about to take the risk of a close quarters gunfight in a populated area. Pushing through the mass of people he then broke free of the crowd and headed towards a lift where people were boarding to return to the ground surface. As he reached the doors he heard gunshots behind him and threw himself into a roll, grazing his sides on the closing lift doors. He slowly stood up and turned to face the man from behind bulletproof glass. The man pointed at him glaring for a moment, then turned back into the crowd as the lift began it's decent down to the surface. 


	3. A new beginning

Chapter Three, A new beginning  
  
As she sat, sitting on a bed of grass and moss, lit by a sunset sky, she thought deeply about the past. This was Lyra Starcloud and now was when it all began again. Thoughts drifted in and out of place, image of people and places. The night skyline of Omni-1, the Broken Shores Falls where she got married, Rome park on a sunny day. She let herself fall onto her back and listened to the grass sway close to her. This deep into the forest there was no noise or pollution, just nature and solitude. She fell asleep.  
  
By now, Draco was just approaching the northeast gate of Hyde City. He had dropped by the market and bought a pack of low-grade flares and some lighting fuel. He'd also treated himself to some local doughnuts to keep his hunger at bay. When out in the wild it was hard to find luxury food like doughnuts and thus he considered them a necessity while in town. That was the usual excuse anyway. At the gate he met with the guards and asked about Lyra.  
  
"A girl did pass by a few days ago, she didn't look like she'd be back for a while judging by the backpack and how much equipment she was carrying. We like to know where residents go and so we asked her about where she was headed."  
  
The guard stopped and that point to light a thyparette.  
  
"And what did she say?" inquired Diviant quite impatiently.  
  
"She told us she'd be around Co-ordinates 20.75,81.68 but she didn't say why"  
  
Diviant got out the blue notepad at wrote down as much as he could remember on the back.  
  
"81.86?"  
  
"68" the guard corrected.  
  
He placed the pad back and thanked the guard. The co-ordinates would make her about 4 miles north of his position, a long trek through dense forest. He took out his enforcer guns and replaced rubber bullets for metal ones. He knew from experience that rubber bullets would not stop the kind of creatures that live in forests like such. Taking a flare out in one hand, he set off into the undergrowth.  
  
Lyra awoke sharply. The sun had gone now and the sky was a storm, casting darkness over the land. He stood upright and walked the entrance of a cave near where she was resting. There, she opened up a large backpack and took out a torch light and a pair of cheap laser pistols that she'd bought prior to her departure to the forest. They were self sufficient, not needing ammunition but as a result took time to recharge allowing for only a short burst. She'd researched the wildlife in this forest before leaving and knew that they would hunt now that the sunlight was gone. She took a flare out of the backpack and put it in her rear pocket. The reasons for coming out here were to think about the past, work out her future and to train up some old skills. She walked back to the centre of the opening and waited.  
  
Lyra was once a formidable adventurer but since she left Omni-1 she had not returned to that profession. Now, years after she gave up her guns, Lyra was out of shape and un-focused. It would take time and effort to regain that way of life. As she stood there, her eyes closed, the sounds of the forest became clear, the rustling of the leaves, the crackling of animals stepping on twigs and branches. Then, the sound of an approaching bear- like animal, a briath. As the pace of the animal increased and it came close she dived to the left to avoid it and took to shooting at it. Suddenly another briath hit her from behind. The guns left her hands and her head hit the ground. Dazed, she tried to turn to face the creature. It stood over her on its back feet, about to fall onto its front paws and crush her. Then she heard the sound of firing from across the opening and the briath ran off into the trees. A man walked to her side and kneeled down.  
  
"This is the first time I've seen you on the ground helpless." Smirked Diviant.  
  
"And it's the last time I assure you" replied Lyra, letting him lift her to her feet.  
  
"I know what you're doing here, I read the notebook"  
  
Draco reached into his pocket and drew out the pad.  
  
"Just don't do this alone, you're not the hunter you once were. You could have been killed just now."  
  
"I had a flare ready, I'd have been ok"  
  
She walked over to the lying diviath and stared at its black fur, which was covered, in a brownish slime.  
  
"These animals are suffering because of the industry in Hyde City, I wanted to see the effects for myself."  
  
"No you didn't, you wanted to see if you could be an adventurer again. In the notebook you say many times over how you miss the old days when we were all together. Come back with me to Omni-1. We'll get you back to your old ways. Dadragon's kept your guns for you, they're behind a glass plane in a picture frame at the moment, in his office."  
  
"Office?" she asked, interrupting him.  
  
"The clan's grown a lot since you left. They've got a HQ and everything. They'd welcome you back I'm sure."  
  
She paused for a second and stared at him. She hadn't seen Diviant for such a long time and wondered of where he had been and what he had seen since he left the clan.  
  
"Why did you leave Draco? What was it that made you leave the clan?"  
  
"Same reason as you I think; to get away."  
  
They walked over to the cave entrance and Lyra picked up her backpack.  
  
"Ok, you win. I'll go back, but only if you do too."  
  
"Me?" he asked, slightly unsettled by her response. "Why do you want me to go back to the clan?"  
  
"Same reason as you want me to, to recover a life once lost."  
  
"I said some stupid things before I left, I don't think my welcome would be as friendly as yours. I'll think about it on the way back. Besides, we'll have more than enough time. I can't believe you crossed the entire continent to get away."  
  
She shrugged. It wasn't as if she knew exactly where she was going when she left. She just found a friend in a bar far from anything she was familiar with and decided to stop travelling. Even tough life in Hyde City was better than she'd expected her final destination to be it wasn't a home to her. Not for a second. She looked up to the sky and noticed that in addition to the cast of the clouds the light source was getting low in the sky.  
  
"It's dark now and it'll be getting darker, if we're going to go now's the time."  
  
"I'll lead, you need a skilled hunter to protect you from danger" Draco joked.  
  
"Shut up and go" she replied lightly.  
  
She shoved him playfully to get him moving and then they headed south together, back towards Hyde City. 


	4. Return to civilisation

Chapter Four, Return to civilisation  
  
Back in Hyde City a mob was growing angry. The commotion outside the night bars had got the local enforcement involved and their presence was harassing people. The 3 thugs had left the scene and retreated to the surface on the south side of town. It was there that they met up with other gangs and discussed starting a hunt for the lone ex-Omni-Pol unit.  
  
This ex-Omni-Pol unit was currently wading his way through murky polluted swamp water with Lyra flying over the water as a bird. He had been impressed that she could still perform feats like that after such little practice. At the other side she reformed and sat down, waiting for him to reach her. He might have been at the other side by now if he could have remembered how to do it at that moment in time.  
  
"Come on" Starcloud shouted at Diviant, who had yet another 20 meters of wading to do. He looked upwards. Vapour rising from the surface of the water made it impossible to see far from a low height, he could not see her or the other side. For a second, he panicked. Something slipped past his body under the surface. Starcloud wasn't paying attention to the water until suddenly the surface lit up and fire spread across the surface. A large snake threw itself upwards in pain as the fire engulfed it and Starcloud stood upright, desperately searching the surface for Diviant. He was underwater and out of her sight, short of one flare and swimming below the surface to avoid getting burnt. He came walked out of the water without saying a word.  
  
"Was that really necessary?" she asked him.  
  
He stopped walking and looked at her, mud sliding down his face.  
  
"We're not far now, if you're careful we might just make it," he stated in a droll tone.  
  
It was clear the attack had annoyed Diviant, wading through muck was bad enough, being attacked and having to get completely covered in the stuff was testing Diviant and it was clear that he was close to losing his cool. Starcloud decided to not put him under and further torment and said nothing. They continued through the forest.  
  
When they reached the other side, a few hours later and when Diviant had relaxed enough to talk they reached the forest border not far from Hyde City and were met with a mystifying occurrence. The clouds had given way to the sunset that shone on the city's tall wooden and steel structures, giving them a golden glow. Despite the steel being far from clean and shiny, it absorbed the sunlight and appeared bright orange. The texture of the wood even from a distance was clear and gave Hyde City a look of elegance and class. The two of them crossed the grassy plain between the forest edge and the northeast entrance. In the few hours since the incident they had worked out a route back to the Omni-Tec capital. They would take a ship from Hyde City dock to the coastal resort of Ellypsiss and from there, head east along the continent coastline until they reached the settlement of Old Meyn where a transport line could take them to Stret East Bank. Once there it was a short walk to Omni-1.  
  
They entered the city and Diviant insisted that he buy her better guns. The laser pistols she currently had were no match for traditional bullet and chamber guns.  
  
"I set out looking for you with 200,000 credits, following you around the continent has cost me about 50,000, leaving us with 50,000 to get back and 100,000 spare. Until we get those BBIs back I think I would be best you travel with better protection than those toy pistols you've got there."  
  
"Thanks, these things are falling apart."  
  
"Don't thank me" Diviant exclaimed with a wink. "You're paying me back once we get to Omni-1"  
  
"I suppose it's the thought that counts." She mumbled to herself.  
  
They took a lift up to the higher level and came to a gun shop that Diviant had seen on his previous visit. The shop interior was small but brightly lit and well arranged. The room consisted of a counter that cut the room in half, guns of all types on the other side. A door at the back wall led to a storeroom of melee weapons and ammunition. They looked at several types of handgun but had a modest price range, meaning that Starcloud ended up frustrated at not being allowed to look at some of the more exotic weaponry on view. The shop owner took a third pair of pistols from off the wall and laid them on the counter along with two weighted magazines. Lyra took them up in her hands and held them out straight and still.  
  
"They're heavier than I'm used to." She commented.  
  
"Heavy and robust" replied the shop owner. "They'll last a long time if you look after them and take a beating too."  
  
These guns were simple semi-automatics whereas Lyra's BBIs back in Omni-1 were customised so that they worked as sub-machine guns as well, allowing sweeps of fire rather than one shot firing. It was Lyra's familiarity with the weapons she used that made her a formidable opponent. The guns before her now would be restrictive in battle and mean that she would be limited by what she could do. It wasn't like it would matter anyway though, currently she was so out of shape that she probably couldn't pull off great movements she once could with ease.  
  
"We'll take them," stated Diviant after letting Lyra handle them for a few minutes. He wasn't comfortable in Hyde City after the last visit ended in a public brawl.  
  
"That'll be 78,000 please," requested the shop owner. "Be careful by the way young lady, that particular model has a tendency to heat up and the base of the chamber with excessive use, you wouldn't want to burn yourself now."  
  
The man placed the guns in a small black suitcase along with 3 boxes of 50 bullets. Money was passed over to the man and change given back. They walked out of the shop and ceased the buzzing sound that started when the door opened. It was night now and with darkness came risk in built up areas.  
  
"Want to go tonight or tomorrow morning dear?" asked Starcloud in a cheery mood, pleased with having new guns.  
  
"I don't like this place," said Diviant. "I want to go now"  
  
"Fine, the docks are on the west side of the city. We'd be better of staying on this level, less likely to find trouble on the way."  
  
They set off along the bridgeways between the trunks of the towers, passing shops, cafes and bars where the bridgeway linked to a building's side and everywhere people. The nightlife of the city thrived as people working in the factories during the day would be encouraged to part with their money to the bars and restaurants at night. This way, Hyde City recycled its wealth, constantly developing and exporting goods, making it one of the fastest growing settlements on the western edge of the continent.  
  
They arrived at the docks, a grown up version of the channels that network the inner city ground level. Here, a variety of passenger carriers and cargo ships docked up. Diviant and Starcloud found a ship that was set to leave at 10:00pm, an hour and a half from their current time. They sat down of one of the jetties where the smaller boats moored up and there they talked again into the night. 


	5. Along the coast

Chapter Five, Along the coast  
  
The passenger vessel Gyromus sounded its boarding sound and the small line that had assembled on its adjacent jetty began moving onboard. The moon was at a height and position above the sea horizon that it and its distorted twin lay close to each other. As Lyra and Draco slowly moved further up the line she surveyed the ship. It was painted blue and white, made of the same materials as the city implying that Hyde City was it's birthplace and was about 200 foot long. Not a pretty ship, more like a tank on the water than a beautifully crafted ocean going liner. Against the night sky it was only visible by the moonlight that concentrated on the rivets and bolts along the side.  
  
Once onboard they headed below deck and found their quarters. A bunk bed hung to one wall, halving the room's size. The room was steel walled in the same colour scheme as the exterior of the ship and the only light source was a small caged light on the ceiling that flickered as the ship swayed on the ocean. Starcloud took the bottom bed and lay down, guarding it from Diviant who was looking at her with a mixed expression of amusement and curiosity. She opened the gun case as Diviant closed the cabin door and took out the pair of shiny silver pistols, aiming them both at Draco and pretending to be shooting him. He ignored her and jumped onto the top bed, then tried to drift to sleep. Lyra took out two magazines out of the case and loaded them full, 12 bullets each. The case came with two spare magazines that she left empty. She then closed the case, pushed it far under the bed, placed the guns under her pillow and turned the light off for Diviant. After about 20 minutes of lying awake in the dark, Lyra heard the ship's departure horn and felt the ship beginning to move. It was strange that once the ship was moving, Lyra fell asleep not soon after.  
  
The next morning at sunrise, Diviant awoke and jumped down onto the floor, making a loud clanging thud that woke up Lyra as well. She yawned loudly, slowly crawled off the bed and stretched out, something of a routine she had. Diviant looked at her.  
  
"I'm going up on deck, need some fresh air. You coming?"  
  
"Yea." She yawned. "Yea I'll go."  
  
They closed the door behind them and it closed with another metal clang. The corridor was brightly lit but the dark blue paint that bordered the walls and covered the floor gave it an unpleasant feel. On deck they had missed the sunrise and were now just looking to the coast on the port side and the passing seawater along the bow and side. The ship was doing about 50 knots; very fast for its type, they could be at Ellypsiss within two days if they kept up this speed.  
  
"Everything ok?" asked Diviant.  
  
"Yea. Apart from that wake up call."  
  
"I'll be more careful next time."  
  
There was a pause as Diviant though of something to say to break the silence. Many things were on his mind but he didn't want to talk about them, not to her anyway. She had enough problems herself to work out. Just as he thought of something to say, the two of them were interrupted. A waiter came up to Diviant and gave him a note.  
  
"From the gentleman over there" he said, pointing to a man familiar to Diviant. This man was big, had little hair and was surrounded by about 10 other men of similar likeness. His name was Thruvis and a criminal from an early age, now not knowing any other life. He dominated a small area of Hyde City and depended on fear to control his pitch. Draco's retaliation had left his image spoilt and he was now onboard to get it back. Diviant opened the note, it read 'Nice girl, don't get too close though, she might get hurt when you're gone'. He looked up at the man who was staring like a hawk from a distance.  
  
"Who is this guy?" Lyra asked.  
  
"A friend from Hyde City, the reason I wanted to leave in a rush. I'm going back to the cabin, we should walk around armed to be on the safe side and try not to split up."  
  
"You're serious, if this guy's dangerous we should sort it out now, he won't be expecting it."  
  
"No, I think we can avoid a confrontation. I'll see you below beck." Diviant said before taking the stairway downstairs. Lyra turned to look at the man who was now staring at her. She smiled and walked to follow Diviant after seeing his face turn from relaxed and confident to unsettled. She had a reputation in Hyde City, he knew who she was, he didn't wanted to cross her.  
  
A day passed and nothing really happened. They ate in a modest canteen where the food was decent but relatively flavourless. They got up in time for the sunset on the second day but it was cloudy and the view of the sun was severely shrouded. The coast off the port side had begun to rise, showing cliffs rather than beaches. Apart from this, nothing so far had been eventful. It was the evening of the second day and Lyra was in the cabin alone, Diviant having gone out to visit the engine room for reasons she could not understand. There was a knock at the door. Assuming it was Diviant she walked up to it. Suddenly, gunshots went off on the other side of the door and bullets peppered it. Starcloud fell to the floor wounded in her right shoulder and bleeding. She reached under her pillow, drew one of her new pistols and fired 4 rounds into the door. He heard a slumping sound on the other side and then nothing. Trying to decide whether to get up and check or not she just stayed still, knelt on the steel blood stained floor, her left arm not moving from its aim of the door. A sudden sharp rush of pain down her right arm made her drop her aim and hold the wound. It hurt badly but she could still move her right arm. She crawled back onto the bed and waited for Diviant to return.  
  
Only minutes past before he came rushing in guns drawn and eyes wide. "Are you hurt?" he stuttered loudly.  
  
"What does it look like?" she replied, standing up and showing him the wound.  
  
"Ok, hold still"  
  
He placed his guns in their holsters and closed the door behind him. He then walked up to her and closed his eyes. He began making movements as if he were washing his hands and they began to glow a red haze with sparkling lights flowing around them like fireflies around a light source. Then, he placed his hands over the wound and took them away. The wound was gone, healed as if it had never been there.  
  
"I would have done it myself but I've been out of nanos since that bird transformation." She said, moving her shoulder around.  
  
"It's ok, we'll get you more in Omni-1. Until then, try and be more careful."  
  
"That friends of yours has asked for it." she growled, picking up her guns.  
  
"Don't." Diviant said, blocking her path with his arm. "Do this and we'll get thrown of the ship."  
  
"Don't try and stop me, no-one stops me when I'm angry."  
  
She pushed through his arm and ran out the cabin, reloading on the way. Diviant stopped for a second to think, then ran out of the cabin, over the dead rogue and down the corridor after her.  
  
In the canteen, Thruvis and his friends were sitting around a circular table, laughing and joking with each other. Lyra entered the room from a door on the far side and walked towards the group. The man sat upright as he approached. She stood between two of his gang members opposite him and across the table. The man took up a tankard and took a glug from the contents as she stood there waiting for him to speak. He slowly put the tankard down.  
  
"How's your friend?" he asked.  
  
"Good." She replied, nodding. "Me however, I'm angry."  
  
The men around the table all looked at her, seeing the rage in her eyes. Then she acted on impulse. With all her strength and will her kicked up her end of the table. It span 90 degrees in the air and as in stood between her and the man, she fired two shots, one from each gun through the table surface. The other men just sat rigid, not moving. Diviant ran into the room and crossed over to her. She turned and started to walk as Diviant arrived by her side, looking at the upside down table and the man on the other side who was still alive but hurt. As he left the area, leaving the men to sit looking at each other in dismay, Diviant realised that Starcloud had changed, she was not the person he once knew. 


	6. Ellypsiss

Chapter Six, Ellypsiss  
  
Diviant was chasing Starcloud around the ship. He followed her to the cabin but when he got there she had already packed her belongings and left. He went up to the main deck, the next place he thought she would go and saw her at the ship of the ship leaning against the safety ropes that surrounded the deck. As he approached she gave him a last glance, then jumped overboard. He ran up to the edge, only to see her swimming towards the shore. They weren't far from Ellypsiss but he didn't know if she intended to go there. All he could do was slump against the ropes trying to understand what happened, why she did what she did. This issue stayed with him all through the night, she hadn't seemed to have changed much, but Lyra wasn't an aggressive person. He was totally surprised by her outburst and intense rage. If they met up again, what would they say? He stood up and headed to the canteen to talk to Thruvis and his gang.  
  
Lyra made it to the shore in little time, had found a way up the cliff-face and had started on her way along the cliff-top towards Ellypsiss. She knew that Diviant would not understand why she shot him, but he didn't know about the life she'd had in Hyde City. In a place like that, you can't afford to be soft, if a problem comes your way to don't just sort it, you make sure it doesn't come back again. Thruvis was a problem, he had made that clear when he'd sent one of his obedient men to kill Diviant and had got her instead. She hadn't intended to kill him though, but still, deep inside, she knew that if he did die she wouldn't care. She stopped walking. What had she become? A monster? A mindless killer? And what must Diviant think of her. She should have thought about it, he'd only ever known her as how she was in Omni-1. The Lyra back then wouldn't have even thought of vengeance like that. She started walking again. So what should she do now? Lyra though for a while, thinking through scenarios of how she could fix the situation. After an hour of thinking, looking out to sea and swapping hands in carrying the heavy briefcase she came to a ridge. As she crossed over it she saw over a grassy and rocky plateau the luxury resort of Ellypsiss.  
  
In the canteen, Diviant was against all the odds, having a civilised conversation with the rogue gang about Lyra. He was surprised when they told him about her similar gang like control over the area outside the two bars. It turned out that she and the staff of the 'Dead Hinge' bar were also the local enforcement over the area, except they enforced under their own rules. They mugged people, attacked opposing gangs, dictated what could and could not happen in their area, the list went on. He tried not to believe it but for some reason he could see her doing just that. When they offered him a drink he refused and stormed out of the canteen. He returned to the cabin and dragged the body into the room. He then cleaned up the corridor where blood had stained the steel against the wall and floor. When it was suitably clean he searched the body for anything worth taking. Inside one pocket he found instructions for the thug to kill him. He knew now why Lyra was so angry. She wasn't expecting to get hurt. She was angry anyway that they had targeted Diviant in the first place and when she had got shot, she snapped. An arrival horn sounded and he left in a rush for the top deck without bothering to conceal the body at all.  
  
Ellypsiss, a beautiful feat of engineering and creative splendour. A bay was first dug out to form a bay with statues carved out of the cliff- faces inside the bay and looking out to sea. The city itself consisted of a large building of glass and titanium alloys. This building starts at the top of the cliff and is built into the inward side of the bay in the same way some flowers seem to be falling over the edge of hanging baskets. In addition, a passing river on the cliff top was redirected to flow through the glass structure. This was simply an attempt to impress people staying in Ellypsiss and generate further interest and revenue. The resort was also home to a thriving dock at the bottom of the structure where people could arrive to the stunning view of huge 100-foot statues and a glass and water architectural wonder.  
  
Starcloud was compelled to stop to admire the view. By day the resort is stunning, at night it was better. It was designed to light up the bay cliffs through the water that fell through the building. As a result, the bay glowed with a rippling blue light. Lyra walked towards the lobby at the top of the building, still trying to work out what to say to Draco. She got to the resort entrance and could see the Gyromus in dock at the bottom of the bay. Her heart fell; jumping off the ship was like escaping for her, seeing it again brought back dread. She peered over the edge of the level and could see the step like formation of all the levels below. Then she spotted Diviant, heading towards a lift to the top floor, where she was. If we're going to meet up I might as well try and make it easy. She ran to the lift doors on her level and waited, hands linked behind her back.  
  
Diviant had been looking for Lyra all over the resort but he had assumed that she would not have gotten far into the resort, if she'd come there at all. He had left the ship before the gang and had seen Thruvis on a stretcher being carried off ship by medics. He was in a lift at present, going up to the top and last floor he had to check. He had many questions to ask her and he felt that if they did meet up it might end in an argument. Diviant thought about his options, he could search the surrounding area, he could carry on with what he was doing before and ask people in various settlements if they'd seen her, maybe he should report her to the police force and they could find her. They would probably jail her for assault in a suppressed zone but at least they would meet again. The lift reached its destination and standing there was Lyra.  
  
The doors swept open and he stepped out.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, knowing that it wouldn't excuse what she'd done.  
  
"You're sorry? That's good but it doesn't tell me much." He replied. She looked at the ground; eye contact in a conversation like this wasn't pleasant.  
  
"I lost my temper. He deserved it anyway, one hit deserves another."  
  
"Is that your philosophy now?"  
  
"What else am I supposed to think? What would you have me done? Let him get away with it? You don't treat people like him that way or they just do it again. I doubt he'll think of messing with us now."  
  
"You could have killed him!" Draco shouted, losing his patience for once.  
  
"And what about me? I could have been killed too!"  
  
He sat down on a bench by the lift doors. Lyra came down and stood in front of him, looking down.  
  
"I know that. Look, you're not the person I thought you were but I'm still willing to go to Omni-1 with you. Just, no more outbursts like that. I don't want to think that the Lyra I knew is gone."  
  
"Ok, I'll think next time something like that happens. Are you ok to go? I think there's a bus heading east about to leave."  
  
He looked up at her and shrugged.  
  
"Help me up."  
  
She pulled him to his feet and they ran to the road outside the lobby. The incident of the ship had separated them and now, they no longer felt safe travelling together. 


	7. Across the plain

Chapter Seven, Across the plain  
  
The coaches in this area of the continent were undoubtedly unique. The long distances between settlements and the harsh desert terrain meant that coaches had to be robust, reliable and able to support it's passengers for possibly weeks at a time. These demands had caused the coaches to be designed double story, allowing the lower half to be filled with food, water and cargo and the top half for passengers. They had also not been intended as luxury transportation and this was clear by the raw steel shell. Even when brand new they looked unappealing, after decades of service they looked more like a portable prison. Heat was also an issue as ventilation was not included.  
  
Things had been uneventful for the first few days onboard. Starcloud and Diviant had found their place at the back of the bus where the open windows along the side allowed a breeze to amount before them, the best airflow anywhere on the bus. The fourth day on the bus was the day when things started to go wrong. The morning light was increasing by the minute. After a long cool night the passengers were refreshed but not looking forward to another day of heat and boredom. Then, as the sun was just settling in to its position in the sky, the bus came to a halt. Diviant could hear noises from the front of the bus, the driver was shouting and he could hear other voices too. He got up, leaving Lyra to remain sleeping and walked to the front of the bus. At the window he looked down to see that they had reached a small village, armed guards in desert attire were holding up the bus. He could hear the bus driver talking to the patrol leader downstairs.  
  
"Look man, I carry many people about, women, children, all sorts of people. With a description like that I can't give you an answer." Said the driver in an indignant tone.  
  
"What about a name then," the guard replied. "A Lyra Starcloud."  
  
Diviant's eyes widened. He could only assume that she was wanted for putting a man in hospital, or possibly he had died. Maybe she was wanted for murder.  
  
"I don't ask for the names of my passengers, they pay me the money, load up their belongings and it's no questions asked."  
  
"I don't believe that's the policy of your organisation. Co-operate or I'll use that as reason to have you arrested. Security is something we insist of here."  
  
"You can go upstairs and check if you want." said the driver, obviously having given in to the demands of the officer. Diviant walked over to Lyra as if he'd got bored of listening in. He didn't want to give the wrong impression to the other passengers. He nudged her to get her awake.  
  
"What?" she murmured.  
  
He tried to remain calm and stared at the stairway. "There are armed guards looking for you about to come up those stairs. What do you want to do?"  
  
She sat upright suddenly and joined him in staring at the stairs.  
  
"A 'Good morning' would have been nicer" she replied. Then, without even telling him of what she had planned she began to gather her magic force in the same motion as if she were cleaning her hands and a moment later had turned into a rat like creature, a leet. Diviant tried to grab the leet but it evaded him causing a commotion that attracted the attention of all the passengers. The leet then ran along the side of the bus on the floor. After failing to grab the rodent he instead turned his attention to packing up her equipment into her backpack, getting ready to leave if necessary. Then, having cleared everything up he looked up and about the room. He had lost sight of it and now the guards were entering the section from the stairway.  
  
The search was brief and surface-deep. They looked around at the passengers, asked several different people several different questions and then left, all this time without spotting the orange brown fur of a leet. Problem for Diviant was that after the guards had left and the bus had resumed its course to Old Meyn the leet was still nowhere to be seen. He waited for her to return, cursing himself every now and then when he thought it best she not come back. Sure, she had not been what he remembered, maybe she was worse than before but he was here to help her not just to meet her. He was going to get her back on the right road. He took a step back in his mind and looked back at what he had just thought. Why was he setting himself up like this? He didn't owe anything to her, he didn't have any attraction to her that might explain it, he didn't even usually think at all about other people. He was a self-sufficient soldier, needing no one, ultimately relying only on himself. The day then proceeded just as the other days had; the nauseating heat, the metal walls that were hot to touch and the desert landscape with seemed to never end, but all without Lyra showing.  
  
Diviant awoke in the middle of the night in response to the bus going over a deep rut in the road that shook it. He didn't move, believing that if he did then the cold of the night would get to him. Then he realised that Lyra was beside him, leaning against his arm and not awoken by the disturbance. Lying there, lit by moonlight, she looked like a mere girl, innocent to the world and in need of protection and guidance. Then he reminded himself of what she looked like, storming out of the canteen of the Gyromus with a look of intense anger. But then he thought back again, was it anger? Or some reason he could not picture that face, he could only see a face that seemed to know she had let herself down. He was tired, that was it, he was just tired and not thinking straight. He let his eyes fall down and allowed his mind to drift from the focused to the unconscious.  
  
In Lyra's dream she was alone, standing in a dark forest with no sound. Her could not hear the wind, the animals, nothing. The sky above her was black, no stars and no clouds, just a void. She looked down to her side and saw.  
  
She awoke abruptly, it was day and the bus continued to shake along the dusty track. Diviant was not beside her, he was further down the bus talking to a person she did not know. After lying on the seat waiting for him to come back she got up, stretched and walked down to them holding onto the railings for stability.  
  
"Hi there, sleep well?" Diviant asked her.  
  
"Slept fine." She answered, looking a state and clearly still tired. "This is Thraves, he's a merchant on his way to Old Meyn as well."  
  
"Hi" he said, extending a hand and expecting to be received gracefully. His voice was strangely unfettered, Starcloud was used to Merchants and they all had a weary substance to their voices even if it was covered by an artificial 'trading' voice which was meant to appeal. She shook his hand for the sake of activity, but she wasn't one for giving trust to strangers.  
  
"I hear you're going to Omni-1, that's a big place, I have many friends there. I try and stay away from built up areas personally, I get claustrophobic around tall buildings."  
  
"Shame," she replied. "I've learnt from experience that those who don't like cities don't belong in them."  
  
Diviant was hoping she wouldn't respond this way but didn't show it.  
  
"Well, as we're all here travelling together, might I interest you to a trade?" Thraves continued, unaffected by the remark. He reached under his seat to a brown old suitcase, tatty and worn to the extent that Lyra immediately looked at Diviant with a look of disapproval upon seeing it. Thraves opened the case to reveal a gleaming metal interior loaded with exotic handguns and high-tech ammunition.  
  
"My trade is a discrete but profitable one. I noticed your arms at the back among your other belongings and assumed you'd be interested. Am I right?"  
  
Lyra sat down beside him and looked inside, her face bright from the reflected light and eyes wide with wonder.  
  
"I think you may be. This is going to make the rest of the trip a lot more interesting." 


	8. Sudden Conflict

Chapter Eight, Sudden Conflict  
  
It soon turned out that Thraves was much more of a respectable character than Lyra first assumed. The last two days had been much easier thanks to Thraves' never ending source of magic tricks and his good sense of humour. His selection of weapons was also a subject of much discussion. Apparently, he acquired his merchandise from a military testing laboratory near the west coast of the continent, far north of Hyde City through a defective scientist. He then crossed the continent by varying routes to sell his items to rivalling gangs in a city southwest of Omni-1, desperate for style as well as efficiency from the weapons they used. It was here Thraves made his small fortune by showing off the latest in military technology and offering them exclusively at high prices. Despite the long journeys back and forth, he felt it was well worth it.  
  
"This is a special one" he exclaimed, discretely pulling out a tiny pistol that reflected every colour of the spectrum as he handled it. "It's rechargeable, requiring no ammunition, fires up to 40 shots before heating up and fires focused kinetic energy, not laser pulses or bullets that you might be used to. The effect is more painful but less damaging. A tab here flicked up like this will fire a longer burst that will knock a Drackian Rhinor unconscious. On a person, there's a chance of nervous shock but still, not fatal."  
  
He handed Lyra the gun, it felt neither cold nor warm and had the feeling similar to that of smooth plastic. It wasn't shaped particularly different to most handguns but the diffractive look of it made it very attractive to look at. She handed it back.  
  
"You know" he continued, "The BBI Faithful 22 is on its way out. The Faithful 100 is the latest model and there is a lot of hype about it BUT I know of the prototype successor to the 100, not due for release for at least a few years. My contact at the military outpost mentioned a new gun; the X1 with is supposed to be lighter, more robust and built purposefully to be customised. I could look into it for you if you were to give me an incentive."  
  
"I have nothing to offer here but when I get to Omni-Tec I'm sure I'll find something of your interest. What is your interest anyway?"  
  
"I'm into metaphysics at the moment, a hobby I'm intending to try and make money out of. Any high-end metaphysical nano program would be a good gesture."  
  
Lyra gave a sigh, nano programs were very expensive and high-end ones more so. The animal morphing nano programs that she had were easy to obtain because she was making lots of money but times had changed and it might not be so easy now.  
  
"I'll see what I can do. If you get access to these guns for me I'll need two, I always use two."  
  
"Two it is then, don't expect any results soon, it may take months to get them. They are in development after all."  
  
Starcloud gave him a satisfied smile and walked to the back of the bus to join Diviant, who was looking out the window for something to interest him. She sat down, letting her back slam against the Spartan padding and then turned to join Diviant in observing the landscape. She was about to try and start a conversation with him when they both saw something that made them both stand up and stare. Far in the distance a group of people were being chased by Blackhawks, large predatorial eagle like birds that preferred larger meals than lots of smaller ones. They tended to live in mountainous areas though and thus such a sighting in the middle of a desert was a rare occurrence.  
  
"Should we do something?" she asked, already reaching for her gun belt and backpack.  
  
"Yea, they don't stand a chance alone, it looks like a drifter group."  
  
The two of them ran down the deck and down the stairway. They turned to the driver who in turn looked at them momentarily.  
  
"Yes?" he said.  
  
"How far are we from Old Meyn?" Diviant inquired.  
  
"About another days travelling, why?"  
  
"We've spotted a group of travellers in trouble and we can help. Would you be willing to stop and wait for us?"  
  
The driver looked to another staff member.  
  
"When did we last service the filters?"  
  
"About 7 months ago." A man said, not looking up from a magazine he was reading  
  
"Ok," the driver said, turning to Diviant and then back to the road ahead. "You've got two hours, we should have the filters done in that time, then we're going on with or without you."  
  
The driver slowed the bus and pulled off the track to stop aside it and open the doors for Lyra and Diviant. The group was at least half a mile away and the birds were flying above them, making dives at the caravans. Lyra started to run, and then sprint as did Diviant. Then, while running she started to focus, making the cleaning action with her hands which made glow. A second later, she was a Panthercat, bounding at great speed towards the battleground followed by Diviant in the same form.  
  
When she arrived at the camp minutes later a Blackhawk flew down at her. With the power of a hunting Panthercat she launched herself into the air slashing twice at the hawk's neck and torso, dragging down to the ground with her. As Diviant arrived she reformed and drew her guns, unloading ammunition into the sky and the flock. Diviant remained a Panthercat and jumped on top of one of the caravans where a Blackhawk was positioned, screeching at them both. He could hear the crying of the people inside below his paws but ignored it and bit at the hawk in front of him, causing the creature to flap furiously to get away. The mass of the flock seemed to focus their attacks at Lyra and she had to dive continuously to evade their swoops. Diviant jumped down to the ground and ran towards her side. Two hawks dived from different directions at the same time. Lyra dived one leaving the bird to miss her and fly straight into the claws of Diviant but as he concentrated on silencing the one before him, the other bird came from the side and snapped at his right. The Panthercat was thrown to the floor and Lyra only just managed to scare off the hawk with several rounds. The flock now fly higher in the sky, too far for Lyra to accurately take them down but had seemed to cease their attack dives. Diviant reformed in front of her, clearly in pain still from the attack.  
  
"My turn to be the doctor" she said nervous smile. She healed him with a nano spell as he had on the Gyromus but the armour he wore seemed to absorb some of the spell as well. Never less, the pain had stopped.  
  
"Why did it do that?" she asked him.  
  
"This armour is augmented, it detects incoming nano spells and deals with them, protecting against aggressive spells and absorbing excess energy from passive ones."  
  
They looked up at the sky. The Blackhawks were drifting slowly away from above the camp and heading across the desert. Then a caravan door flung open and an elderly man in colourful but worn clothing stepped out with surprising energy. A few others slowly and cautiously followed him but it was only he that came running at them with arms wide open. Diviant braced himself.  
  
"Thank you! Thank you, oh God thank you! We thought we wouldn't make it!"  
  
The man ran up to Diviant, extending a hand. Diviant shook it but imitated Lyra by keeping formal, not smiling or expressing any form of emotion. She picked up on this and didn't like being taught a lesson.  
  
"Anything you need just say! You need water? Food? Perhaps some artwork? My son draws all the time."  
  
He ran back to the caravan, emerging soon after with a paper sheet. He presented it to them proudly but the picture was crudely drawn like that of a child and the actual content was unclear. Lyra spotted a young boy among the others waiting by the caravan doorway, next to a girl, supposedly a sister and supposedly a mother.  
  
"Thank you" Diviant said courteously, accepting the picture. The man looked at Lyra, first at her face and then downwards until he had reached her feet. He then raced off again to his caravan.  
  
"What is this guy like?" she stated. She was about to follow up when the man re-appeared, carrying under one arm a garment of some kind. He approached Lyra holding it forwards.  
  
"You look like an adventurous type dear, do you know what this is?" he asked her.  
  
She looked at the piece of clothing; it appeared to be a pure white skirt of some kind but tailored with lots of pockets at the top. Despite this she shrugged anyway.  
  
"A skirt?"  
  
"You don't recognise the material? Dear me, this is real Coutroun padded leather, very good against the heat in deserts like this one. My wife made it for my daughter when she was keen on becoming an adventurer but now she's into cookery instead. It's made for an adult, it looks your size."  
  
She gave Diviant a glace to stop him smirking and then thanked the man, taking the skirt with a smile. They then headed back across the desert towards the bus, but not before waving to the family by the caravan and a few others who had come outside from other caravans. She held it over her head, shading herself form the sun. The skirt was cool to touch, even under the baking sun and hot air and the shade it provided was complete.  
  
"It's actually quite nice," she said to Diviant. "How's yours?"  
  
He looked at the masterpiece before him and grinned.  
  
"It'll be the centrepiece in my apartment." He joked. 


	9. Travelling far and fast

Chapter Nine, Travelling far and fast  
  
The bus and its passengers reached the gates of Old Meyn as the daylight fell victim to the night sky. Old Meyn was, as the named implied, an old settlement and was established back in the days where mining was the dominant industry. Now, Old Meyn is a ghost town, appealing only to the poor and criminal. Lyra and Diviant left the bus last, gave Thraves a wave goodbye as he set off into town and looked about. A ring of slums surrounded the town and shanty houses, in the centre were taller buildings decorated with a mass of neon logos. The two of them walked towards the town centre, checking their guns and reloading them if needed. They were lucky to reach the town centre without running into trouble but when they got there they came across a familiar face, several in fact. Thraves was standing against a street wall with a gang of men in front of him. As they approached, they saw that the gang members were those of Thruvis' gang and that they were armed. Suddenly, another gang appeared from round a street corner and charged at Thruvis' men.  
  
Lyra and Draco kept their distance as an intense fight broke out between the two gangs. Thraves took the opportunity to escape the scene and join them.  
  
"Who are those people?" Lyra asked him.  
  
"They're my customers" he replied. "They defend me furiously because I bring them the best weapons around."  
  
He was clearly telling the truth, the unfamiliar gang member fought with sophisticated weaponry and great anger. Lyra had never seen such a violent scene, even before she left Omni-1. Soon after the fight had started, local enforcement patrols started showing up and soon after that, the fight was over, leaving the twenty or so men lying on the ground unconscious. Despite the fact the area was swarming with crime it seemed the police force still stuck to using stun guns rather than real ones.  
  
"I must go," stated Thraves as he headed of down a dark street where several men were waiting for him. Lyra was surprised, the gang he dealt with seemed a lot more like an organised cult than the normal thug type gang. The men Thraves was talking to wore clothes of rich colours; red, black and silver along with light armour. She had mixed thoughts for Thraves; his customers seemed more civilised than she had imagined but she also thought a smart criminal to be much more dangerous than a stupid one.  
  
"Ready to go?" asked Draco.  
  
She agreed and headed towards the transport line.  
  
The transport technology in Rubi Ka, the continent where all this takes place, consists of tall thin large telephone box like buildings of concrete and metal with radar like constructions on top that reach far into the sky. These buildings were nicknamed 'Whompas' and were capable of transporting a large number of people across great distances about the city and its outer reaches. It was by these means that Starcloud and Diviant intended to travel the rest of the journey. As Lyra stepped through the doorway the door slid shut behind her, leaving the dark night of Old Meyn. A moment later the door opened again to reveal a new world. She stepped out onto polished marble, the Whompa had bypassed Stret East Bank and delivered her directly to Trade, the commercial heart of Omni-1. Here, the night sky didn't matter as a million lights lit up every building around and above her and lit the sky itself an electric blue. Huge towering buildings of glass, metal and concrete meant that the sky was barely visible anyway. The centre of which she had stepped out into was packed with people of all races, size and appearance. The sheer activity of the place hit her like train in the face, even at this time at night. She had forgotten it all, but just as she was about to run away from the crowd Diviant came up beside her and it was all ok.  
  
"Is it how you remember it?" he asked, his voice faded by the noise of the mass.  
  
"No, not at all."  
  
"We need to get to Ent, I have an apartment there where we can rest and call HQ."  
  
She followed him to a similar Whompa and just as before they reappeared in another location. Omni-Ent was empty in comparison where they came out. Whereas Trade never slept, the outer reaches of Ent slept soundly along with those who lived there. The centre however, as with all centres in Omni-1 is always a source of activity and at night, Ent flourished with expensive bars and nightclubs. They walked along deep canyons between buildings until they reached a white concrete building with reflective metal plating that decorated the structure with the lights of the surrounding architecture. The entrance glittered with flashing lights and glass planes let those who chose not to go inside see what they were missing. It was this building the two of them entered. As they did so a receptionist, clearly tired recognised Diviant and placed a key on the counter for him to take.  
  
Diviant's flat was poorly lit which complimented the dark wood furnishings that made up about 75% of all surfaces. It came as a surprise to Lyra that Diviant would favour this style of apartment over a modern flat of polished metal and colourful paintings, a theme that was currently in fashion. Despite the immediate look, the apartment was just as high-tech as most. They entered and were greeted by a computer voice informing Draco of his 14 unanswered messages and his need to renew his ownership form of his Aphrillion.  
  
"Aphrillion?" Lyra inquired.  
  
"My means of transport, it's the next best thing to the Yalmaha and it's a new make. Just as fast as the Yalm but costs less, you're not buying the most popular brand.  
  
"I see, have you got a bathroom about?"  
  
"Just down that corridor" he replied, pointing in a direction behind him.  
  
She walked into the bathroom as Diviant proceeded to junk the picture he received in the desert, and a light illuminated automatically. This room, unlike the rest of the house was modern, shiny metal and white strips followed the walls and a large rectangular mirror sat central on the opposite wall. She walked up to the mirror, hearing her own footsteps crisp and clear and took of her belt which kept her guns in place. She took them and placed them on a dresser before her. Then, she stared, stared so hard that everything around her seemed to wobble and darken. All she could she were her eyes; which held such intensity that even her own face seemed that of a stranger.  
  
"Hello?" Diviant burst in, disturbing her and ending her trance. "I think there's a spare towel in here somewhere, yep. You're ok to sleep on the sofa right?"  
  
"Sure"  
  
After he had left the room she followed him out, when he turned she spoke. "How many hours sleep are we getting?"  
  
Diviant looked at his timekeeper.  
  
"It's ten thirty now, wake at eight, that's about ten hours. We'll head over to HQ soon after we wake. Help yourself to anything in the vender, go to sleep whenever you feel, I'll be right through here if you break anything."  
  
He smiled and headed of into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Lyra walked over to the vender (modern day equivalent of a fridge) and looked inside. The vender had mostly TV meals inside and alcohol, substance that really didn't suit the style of the apartment. She yawned, realising how tired she was. Finding nothing satisfying to her taste, she closed the vender, turned off the kitchen light and tried to get to sleep on Diviant's small but comfy sofa. 


	10. Unity

Chapter Ten, Unity  
  
Lyra awoke only because of the streaming light through the curtains ajar, had they been properly closed she could have easily sleep for a further five hours. She looked over and saw the time to be ten past nine, with no sign of Diviant activity she decided to attempt getting out of bed. Five minutes later she was up, and so was a rushing and stressed Diviant. She couldn't understand why he was so bothered about getting up early, she wouldn't have expected there to be any urgency.  
  
"You don't understand" said Diviant, replying to her inquiry of his state of mind. "HQ has a daily meeting at ten every morning, if I'm late we'll have to put off meeting the others until tomorrow."  
  
"The others?"  
  
"Dadragon's squad leaders and clan board." Diviant stated, grabbing his armour jacket off the back of a chair where it hung. "The squad leaders organise everything in the field, the board organise the clan structure and the HQ. In other words, big, important people."  
  
"I was there the day the clan was born, if anyone's big and important it's me."  
  
"Not anymore, the clan way too big now for one person to organise it all. The clan hierarchy is quite complex and very strict."  
  
"Not as I'd intended it" Starcloud mumbled.  
  
"Ok, how do I look?" Draco asked. He was wearing an ornate coat over his armour; blue stained leather and black trimmings, a series off silver and gold pips on one shoulder. She assumed they dictated his rank or something like that. Despite the quick get ready he had done remarkably to get himself look neat.  
  
"Fine I guess," she said.  
  
"High praise, I think we're ready to get going. You can leave the guns here, you won't be needing them and they're technically mine anyway" he chuckled.  
  
They left the flat in a mess and headed to the ground floor by lift. They left building block the same way they entered and were both hit by the gleaming sunlight. At night, the shiny metal buildings reflected every colour but remained fairly dark. At day however, the opposite was true; the gorge walls were glistening bright with a cloudless blue strip of sky directly above. They hadn't walked for long until they came to a huge open area with a sign indicating that they were at Business Park 12. Diviant hurried up to a black marble building with gold pillars supporting an overhanging part of the structure. As she entered the lobby she was surrounded by white marble walls and an ornate red and black patterned marble floor. Diviant was keeping a lift open for her and she ran across the lobby to get in.  
  
"Sure I look ok?" he asked again, brushing his coat as the lift began to rise.  
  
"Stop be pedantic." She replied. The lift stopped as her reply did and opened to the HQ welcome floor. A long corridor, lit at the top border by clear white light, lined with beds of plants and intersecting corridors lay before them. They ran out and Lyra followed Diviant down a corridor to the right and then right again further along. They entered a large conference room, a large oval table was positioned in the middle and the room had similar lighting to outside in the corridors, perhaps a bit darker. There, surrounding the table sat in leather chairs fourteen men and women looking at the pair of them. Seven of them wore seemingly identical coats to Diviant, six of them wore back suits with red shirts. The last person sat in the middle of the table opposite Diviant and Lyra, this man was the president himself and the only other person in the room from Diviant of whom she knew well. This was AJ, this was Dadragon.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," blurted Diviant, hurrying to a seat between two people wearing the same attire as him who she assumed were squad leaders like him. Now, she stood by herself with all eyes on her. She now wished she had put as much effort into her appearance as Diviant had as they stared at her, some scrutinising her clothes and face. Her over-confidence had now been replaced with a certain anxiety. Slowly, AJ rose and spoke.  
  
"I assume you're back to stay?" he questioned. His voice was warm to her even though he looked coldly at her. She couldn't understand why he hadn't rushed up to her, asking how she had been as she had imagined it would be on the journey here.  
  
"Yes, if I'm welcome. This place sure had grown since I left."  
  
"When you left this clan had thirty eight members and no structure," started one of the board members. "We now have two hundred and ninety four members and an organised system, not to mention this headquarters and bases throughout the region. It has more than grown, Miss Starcloud."  
  
She looked at Dadragon eye to eye; she was not here to be insulted.  
  
"This meeting is over." He announced. "I want all further reports to be handed in to my office. Dismissed."  
  
The board members and squad leaders, including Diviant got up and left the conference room in an organised rush. AJ stood opposite her, one hand on the exquisite wooden board table. He looked up from his papers.  
  
"I believe I should apologise for that, the meetings demand absolute concentration and your arrival with Diviant was unexpected."  
  
"Sorry I interrupted your little get together. Shall I leave now before I get in anyone else's way?"  
  
A fist landed suddenly on the table causing a slamming sound that echoed out the room and down the corridors. She paused.  
  
"Look." He said, regaining his posture. "Times have changed and this organisation has little time for games anymore..."  
  
He continued to preach about clan structure and guidelines; she couldn't believe what he was saying.  
  
".I am prepared to allow you back into this clan. You will be expected to work up the ranks like everyone else and you will take you position and duty seriously."  
  
She looked at the floor is dismay. The honest group she once had was now replaced by a strict, soulless business. She raised her head and spotted in a glass box on one wall, her guns; the two dark blue BBIs that represented so much. It seemed now that all that was irrelevant. She did not reply to his proposal, instead she walked over to the guns, putting her left hand up against the cold glass. What an apt metaphor it was that the glass between her and the guns represented so well the separation from the joyful past. She knew now that there was no hope in re-gaining that way of life.  
  
"Has it really changed so much?" she said to herself, trying not to let a tear out. "Why are you like this AJ? We're still married for God's sake"  
  
"How do you think it's been for me since you left? I lost a wife, a leader and the best friend I had all at once. All you could say to justify your leaving was that it was costing you too much to stay. I mean, what kind of reason is that?! When I asked you what you meant you changed subject, when I asked you to stay you said no. Well, if you don't like who I am now then just think this; I am who I am today because of what you did."  
  
"I thought you'd be ok. I always said I'd return."  
  
"Return when? It's been two years since you first left and I never knew when you'd be back." He shook his head. "Diviant left to look for you on his own because he thought it would be for the best. How do I know that if he hadn't gone searching for you you'd ever come back?"  
  
"Because you trust me, you do still trust me right? Don't say that's been lost too."  
  
He turned his back to her and looked out of a large window that overlooked the Ent arena.  
  
"It may be easy for you to turn back on everything and everyone that matters but it wasn't for me. I'm a broken man Lyra, you broke me. It's gonna take a hell of a lot to fix."  
  
He looked over his shoulder at her and then at the guns.  
  
"Take them, they're still yours. I have no need for them anymore."  
  
She was about to try and talk some sense into him when she realised that everything that was to be said at this point had been. She gave up trying, opened the glass case and left the room with the case empty. As she stomped down the corridor Diviant saw and caught up with her before she reached the lift.  
  
"Didn't go well did it. I thought so. Listen, I've got to hurry back to my desk. Stay at my place until you're back in business again, I'll see you tonight."  
  
She turned to him and hugged him strongly. It was so strange that she was far closer to him than she was to her own husband. She left him and took the lift down. It was in that lift taking her away from her husband that she decided she would earn back his trust. She couldn't afford to give up on him, he deserved more than that. 


End file.
